Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Whananaki


Canon 5D mk II, EF 50mm, 1/6 shutter speed, 2.5 f., ISO 500

Barrons Beach, Whananaki, New Zealand.

Give peace a chance

Canon 5D mkII, EF 50mm, 30'' shutter speed, 16f. ISO 500

In 30 seconds I revived John Lennon with a camping torch.

Whananaki, (North Island of New Zealand) was the location of this particular session. It truly is one of the most awesome places on the planet.

Full moon and Pino Noir is certainly a good combination. After indulging in perhaps too many glasses, me and my loyal companions Will and Angela celebrate Will's Birthdays eve shooting photos in front of the stunning landscape. For some reason The Beatles came to mind and I drew John Lennon in a long exposure frame (30 seconds exactly). I suppose It was like a Birthday present for both Will and I; after all Lennon, was a libra too.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Friday, September 3, 2010

Britomart station underground.

Canon 5D mk II, 210mm, 1/30 Shutter speed, 5.6 f, ISO 640

He stopped to see everyone else move along.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Shapes and Ghosts

Canon EF 35-80mm Tv 1/4, f4.0 ISO 400

Sunrise at the Marina Harbour, Auckland NZ.


Canon EF 18-50mm Tv 1/500 F10.0 ISO 100


Natural light is stunning and mindblowing. People would have to pay a lot of money to replicate this light with technology, but if you are willing to wake up early enough to catch it, it is there, for free. In fact it happens every single day and most people dont even notice. Light is definitely one of the most amazing life freebies.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Permanent daylight

1/400 Shutter speed, f. 5.6, canon EFS 75-300mm


Some years ago I traveled around Russia, for five weeks, with a folklore group I was playing music with at the time. One of the things that I remember the most from that glorious time- in the peak of my teenage years- is the time that I spent in Arkhangelsk. This region is located not very far from the polar circle, and during the summer period, daylight lasts for 24 hours. The Russians, and some Scandinavians call them "the white nights".
The group stayed for 2 weeks, traveling small distances within the same region. For almost 14 days I did not see anything resembling the night. It was absolutely mental. People were actually going a little bizarre just by the lack of night.

My friend and I were standing on some rocks by the sea, looking at the water crash onto the reef. Almost expecting an immediate answer I ask him whether he knows what to do with his life after this trip has come to its end, or even more so, when we finish university.
He has no clue, and I can not really say anything either, just because I ignore the whereabouts of my life in the next few years.

Thinking in silence for a while, a challenging and recurrent idea comes to my mind.
What if I stay here, on this side of the world and see what the future brings?. Start from square one. Not knowing anybody, not even the most spoken Eastern European languages, or having a secure job. All I had with me was a few clothes I had brought for the two and a half months long trip and my guitar. "What if", still ringing in my head and although i never considered the idea seriously, the simple thought of it gave me some certain adrenaline rush, and an almost guilty smile every time it came about.

The White Nights of Arkhangelsk gave me a full different view of myself. I explored a different terrain of perception and atmosphere; for some reason, made me question whether my short stay should remain short.

After a 9 hour bus ride and some of the most incredible drunken bus jams, we are in a town several hundred miles south of Arkhangelsk. Everyone was in such good spirits, singing along and buying illicit alcohol from our very own bus driver. It wasn't until the bus made a petrol stop that we noticed. It was dark outside. After two weeks of continuous daylight, we finally got given the blessing of the night. Most of the people in the bus recovered their sanity almost right away. Some of us were not so lucky.

Maybe mine is still hanging on to the weird idea of going somewhere unknown, and start something amazing. Maybe it is still there, in my head.

I fucking well hope so.



Saturday, January 23, 2010

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Shutter speed 20'' f.7.1 ISO 400, Canon 18-55mm
Shutter speed 8'', f.11, ISO 400, Canon 18-55mm

New Years lights

Sutter speed 20", f. 29, ISO 400. Canon lens EF-S 18-55mm.



This shot was taken in a beach in the South Island of New Zealand. It was just after midnight on new years night in Punakaiki.

There cant be a new years celebration without fireworks. They always add up a feel good atmosphere and make things somewhat emotional. I think it might be the multicolored lights flashing right in front of you, making everything look like the ending of an epic movie; making you believe that the instant that you are treasuring, even tough it might not be transcendental, it certainly is special.
This year I avoided the big crowds and the noisy self destructive party scene for the countdown celebration. Instead I had a very quiet night, with a couple of beers by the fire contemplating -and shooting- the spontaneous firework display that the neighbors and Dave and Margaret were offering.
Across the beach, three drunken guys go skinny dipping for what will be written down in the books of memory as their first moment of 2010. Over at the fire, Margaret is talking to a group of Kiwi travelers having a relaxed new years night away from the city, the noise and the chaos. Dave and Sarah are lighting up some more fireworks.

If the altogether of the moment was disintegrated, into individual pieces of happening, things wouldnt probably have the significance they do. I stare at the whole space and realize that I am in one of the most beautiful places on earth, with enough room to sprint in any possible direction, jump as high as I can, go for a swim even. The possibilities are endless, I could do anything i want.

I think to myself we are very lucky to have a full moon tonight, wash down another beer and shoot some photos.

Happy new year